Background: Undernutrition of women of childbearing age is pertinent for maternal and offspring health. This study aimed to determine the prevalence and factors associated with undernutrition (underweight and stunting) among women of reproductive age (15-49 years) in Sierra Leone using a secondary data analysis of the 2019 Demographic Health Survey.
Methods: Anthropometric measurements and maternal characteristics were obtained from the Sierra Leone Demographic Health Survey (SLDHS) of 2019.
Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has dramatically impacted communities worldwide, particularly in developing countries. To successfully control the pandemic, correct information and more than 80% vaccine coverage in a population were required. However, misinformation and disinformation could impact this, thus increasing COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy in communities.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: The double burden of malnutrition (DBM) is rising globally, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. In Sierra Leone, the incidence of overweight, obesity (OWOB), and overnutrition among women has sharply increased. This finding accompanies the high incidence of undernutrition, which has been prevalent for decades.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is one of the most severe global health uncertainties to date. Although significant global effort has been put into implementing COVID-19 pandemic control measures such as lockdowns, travel restrictions, and hygiene precautions, the transmission is expected to resurface once these efforts are discontinued. We aimed to determine the prevalence and factors associated with compliance with presidential 53-day lockdown measures in June-July 2021 in northern Uganda.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Women are at higher risks of being underweight than men due to biological, socio-economic, and cultural factors. Underweight women have high risks of poor obstetric outcomes. We aimed to determine the prevalence and factors associated with being underweight among women of reproductive age (15-49 years) in Sierra Leone.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has significantly impacted the physical and mental health of the general population worldwide, with healthcare workers at particular risk. The pandemic's effect on healthcare workers' mental well-being has been characterized by depression, anxiety, work-related stress, sleep disturbances, and post-traumatic stress disorder. Hence, protecting the mental well-being of healthcare workers (HCWs) is a considerable priority.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: injuries in commercial motorcycle drivers (boda-boda) are the second-commonest reason for trauma-related admission to the Gulu Regional Referral Hospital. Most causes of boda-boda accidents and injuries were related to the behaviors of drivers, passengers, and pedestrians. The purpose of this study was to determine factors associated with boda-boda drivers, accidents, and boda-boda accident victims in Gulu Municipality, Northern Uganda.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: The advent of the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has caused millions of deaths worldwide. As of December 2021, there is inadequate data on the outcome of hospitalized patients suffering from COVID-19 in Africa. This study aimed at identifying factors associated with hospital mortality in patients who suffered from COVID-19 at Gulu Regional Referral Hospital in Northern Uganda from March 2020 to October 2021.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPan Afr Med J
October 2021
Introduction: hepatitis B virus (HBV) is one of the commonest causes of acute and chronic liver diseases worldwide. HBV can be transmitted by exposure to infected blood and human secretions through sharp injuries and splashes. Health workers are among the most high-risk groups because they regularly interact with patients.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAs of March 11, 2021, 3,992,044 coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases and 106,615 deaths (case fatality rate 2.67%) have been reported on the African continent. In March 2020, even before the first case of COVID-19 was registered, some African countries implemented total lockdown measures, which limited movement of people, banned mass gatherings, and closed schools and borders.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAs the COVID-19 pandemic continues to ravage health care systems, economies, livelihoods, and cultures across the world, responses across countries have varied greatly. Uganda adopted its own model taking into consideration its culture, values, environment, socio-economic activities, beliefs, previous successful epidemic experience, and appears a hybrid policy to the Norwegian model. This model of response is perhaps based on Uganda's long experience in successful control of many previous epidemics which afflicted it and the neighboring countries, e.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAs SARS-CoV-2 rapidly spread across the globe, short-term modeling forecasts provided time-critical information for containment and mitigation strategies. Global projections had so far incorrectly predicted large numbers of COVID-19 cases in Africa and that its health systems would be overwhelmed. Significantly higher COVID-19-related mortality were expected in Africa mainly because of its poor socio-economic determinants that make it vulnerable to public health threats, including diseases of epidemic potential.
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